Battles of Bottles
by tt22123
Summary: How to cope when you find out that your most hated professor is in fact, your father? You get drunk and smash glass of course. Severitus tale. I do not own the series Harry Potter, nor any of the characters within. Characters which in this tale are OOC.
1. Chapter 1

"You're lying."

"It's the truth Harry, my dear boy."

"No. He can't be my father."

"Why would he have any reason to lie to you Pott- Har- boy? It's not like this is something I thought I would be told today either."

"But how?"

"Surely you do NOT expect me to tell you the facts of the birds and the bees, I may be your father but you are a 16-year-old male, you must know the facts by now."

"No. I mean, yes, I do know them, but how are YOU my father?"

"Really? I'd think it would be quite clear. Your mother and I were together until she found out about my being forced to take the dark mark, so she married Potter to protect you both and then cast the spell to make you look like him."

"I've got to go. Lessons and all that." With these words Harry ran out of Dumbledore's office and ran straight to the seventh corridor, pacing back and forth thrice over until the door to the room of requirement appeared. Wasting no time he walked into the room of glass, took off his shoes and robes before falling to the floor. The room would not provide him with alcohol because he was under age however it did not prevent him from summoning a bottle of firewhiskey. A bottle which he did not hesitate to empty, not even bothering to pour it into a glass but rather drinking straight from the bottle.

Why did the room provide the glass if he were not going to use it you may ask, but during his emptying of the bottle he would occasion fire a spell at it making it explode, or he would pick it up and throw it against the wall making the glass shatter and the shards rain down over his body. By the time he had finished the bottle there were no whole items remaining in the room, the shards spread around him with no clear spot while small red nicks covered his exposed skin. The final drink marked that he should leave the room and go back to the tower, standing caused even more shards to embed themselves within his feet, not that he noticed them. What he did notice, however, was the dizziness that overcame him as he took his first step causing him to fall down amoung the clear shards, his hands and forearms bracing his fall and therefore takng the most of the damage, along with his calves and knees.

He was still oblivious to the pain but he registered the sight of blood on the floor and as it ran down his body and he knew that he would need help so he went to the only person he could, he new-found father. Careful to avoid anyone on patrol, while taking the shortest route possible, Harry slowly made his way down to the dungeons. He had replaced his shoes to prevent leaving footprints of blood in his wake however that also meant that the glass in his feet was trapped within the confines.

Eventually he made it to the potion master's office and knocked on the door, knowing that the man would hear it within his chambers if he were not in the office. A minute or so later the door was pulled open to reveal a stone-faced man, clearly annoyed at being disturbed yet shocked at the sight of Harry at his door. Keeping his face closed off Harry simply lifted his arms so that the man was able to see the bloodied hands as a silent explanation of why he came to see him.

"What happened?" Snape asked as he carefully pulled the child through his office and into his private rooms.

"Glass."

"I can see that, but what happened?"

"Broke."

"Are you not going to talk to me?"

"I am."

"Properly."

"Fine then Sir. What do you want to know?" Harry had been able to control his voice previously by only speaking one or two words, however those nine words proved to be too difficult a challenge and it was hard to miss how his words were slurred as he said them.

"Are you drunk Potter‽"

"Not Potter, it's Snape. So what if I am?"

"Okay then, that we will talk about once I have seen to your wounds and given you some potions. If you are, I want to know what happened."

"I summoned a bottle of firewhiskey and drank it while smashing loads of glass things, stood up, got dizzy, fell over, landed on the glass, cut arms and legs, walked here, knocked on door, came into chambers, having this conversation."

"Thank you child, now I'm going to have to get rid of all the glass by hand before I can give you any potions so it doesn't get sealed in the cuts. Well you can have a pain relieving potion beforehand."

"Don't bother. It doesn't hurt, the firewhiskey made sure of that, besides, I've been through worse whenever I go back to my 'loving family'."

"Our list of things to talk about appears to be getting longer child." With this the two men went silent as Snape began slowly clearing his wounds of glass, a slow task but a necessary one all the same. Once his arms and hands were done Snape healed them with some Murtlap Essence before moving onto the boy's calves and feet and repeating the act. As soon as all of the glass had been carefully removed Snape retrieved a blood replenishing potion, a sobering potion and a pepper-up potion and handed them each to the child in that order. The effect of the sobering potion was instant and embarrassment coursed through his body when he realised that he was sat on his father's couch, hours after finding out that's who he was, drunk and bloodied.

"I'm sorry Sir."

"For which part? Running away when the headmaster told us of our relationship? Not going to the rest of today's classes? Getting drunk when underage? Slicing up your arms and legs because you were too drunk to stand properly? Denying the name Potter and taking Snape? Or for coming to me for help?" Severus snapped at the boy but felt it was deserved.

"All of them I guess. Well, most of them."

"Pray tell, which don't you regret doing?"

"I don't regret saying that I'm a Snape, not a Potter, since that's the truth. Although if you don't want me, I won't be. I don't regret coming to you for help, I regret the fact that I needed to, but not that I did."

"It's okay to need help you realise? No one will think any less of you for it, you're only 16. I will always want you Harry but we need to discuss some things first."

"No it isn't. I'm the great Harry 'Potter', I defeated the most powerful dark wizard when I was 1, I shouldn't need to ask for help," said Harry but his following words were barely a whisper and filled with insecurity, "I don't deserve anyone's help."

"Of course you do. Of course you deserve help when you need it."

"You're my father, you have to say that."

"No, I don't. I'm saying it because it is true and as your father I shouldn't lie to you."

"Do you really want me?"

"Harry, don't be so stupid, of course I want you. You are my son and I refuse to be like my own father so there is nothing that I wouldn't do to make sure that you never want for anything, including parents."

"Oh, so it is just duty, not because of me. I get it now, that makes more sense anyway. Don't worry about it Sir, I'll be just fine." With these words Harry stood and turned to leave until he felt a hand on his wrist, holding him where he was.

"That came out wrong. I'm not saying that I would be a good father, I'm used to being on my own so I may hide in my lab for hours because that is what I am used to doing. Or sit and read a book in silence because I am not used to having company. It is not duty that makes me want you. My father hated magic so my mother and I took his hatred through his fists and whatever else he could hit us with, I didn't have a great childhood, and if I understood an earlier comment correctly, neither did you, I want to start making it up to you. I'm 16 years too late but you are still my child. Where's all this come from anyway?"

"It's just, well, never mind, it's nothing really."

"Tell me please."

"I've never had anyone that actually cared for or about me before, never had anyone who wanted me. It's just odd to think that someone would, and that it would be you, the person who hated and tormented me since I started at Hogwarts."

"Well that is all different now, however what can't be different is the way that I treat you in public, you understand that right?"

"I kinda guessed that would be the case."

"I wish it could be different but while I am still a spy we need to continue to hate each other in public. We will need to come up with a story though for when you turn 17."

"What do you mean?"

"The spell that Lily out on you to make you look like Potter will break on your 17th birthday, you will look more like me, and your mum, than you do him. We need to be able to explain where Harry Potter has disappeared off to, and where my son has been all these years."

"What will I look like?"

"I didn't know about you until today so I will be just as surprised as you to find out I'm afraid." The two men sat in a comfortable silence while they both thought over that fact and what Harry might look like without the charm.

"What will my name be?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well if we are claiming that I am not Harry Potter, it would be a bit suspicious to be called Harry Snape, so what would my name be?"

"What would you like it to be?"

"You're my father, you should get to choose. Unless you don't want to of course, you don't have to, it was just a thought, never mind."

"You don't have to keep doing that, you shouldn't doubt in yourself so much Harry. I don't know what you have been told in the past that made you feel unwanted and that you don't deserve help, but it isn't true. It would be an absolute honour but it needs to be something that we both like, don't you agree?" Harry merely nodded, not wishing to speak and risk his voice breaking and showing just how much those simple words meant after all he'd heard in his past. However he couldn't contain it, though he tried, he did not say a word but threw himself towards the man, who had ended up sitting next to Harry back on the sofa at some point, and wrapped his arms tightly around him, resting his head on the man's shoulders as he began to shake with tears. Snape's arms had automatically found themselves returning the hug but when he felt the boy begin to cry the hold tightened and he started to stroke the unruly raven hair.

"Oh, what did they do to you child?" It was rhetorical but nonetheless Harry shook his head. "You don't have to tell me now Harry but you need to at some point, otherwise your dear old dad will go mad with worry and he's only just found out you're his. You know, you shouldn't be around the muggles on your birthday when the charm breaks do perhaps we could arrange it so you spend the holidays with me?"

"Thank you. I don't mind you knowing, I just don't want you hating me when you find out, or thinking that I'm a freak, or disgusting or something and I know you will, who wouldn't."

"Harry, I could never think anything of the sort about you, don't be so absurd."

"But it's true. I am just a disgusting freak. It's not your fault, it's just who I am."

"Harry James Potter you are not a freak, nor are you disgusting!"

"Whatever, I'm still not a Potter though."

"Until the charm breaks, yes, you are."

"But I'm not."

"Well for all appearances, you are. How about when it is just us, you are a Snape then?"

"Really? You don't mind-"

"No child, I don't mind calling you mine, but only in private until you turn 17. It is imperative that you continue to hate me in public." Once again the room lapsed into silence and Harry put his head back down on Severus' shoulder, eyes fluttering closed even as the boy tried to fight it and keep them open.

Before long Severus realised Harry had fallen asleep using his shoulder as his pillow. Carefully, and slowly, Severus moved Harry's head and placed it on the sofa before standing and moving the boy's legs so that he was led out comfortably. The potions master smiled softly at the thought of his son being so relaxed around him, especially because of their relationship in the past, stood there looking at the sleeping boy for a couple of minutes before going to his own bedroom


	2. Chapter 2

"NO!" Severus woke with a start when he heard the scream ring out through his chambers and it took him a moment to register that Harry was asleep on his sofa. As soon as he realised this fact he grabbed his wand and ran towards his son only to find him in the throes of a nightmare. Lowering his wand the potions master made his way towards the boy slowly, so as to not startle the teenager if he suddenly woke up.

When he got to the sofa, a hand was tentatively placed on to Harry's shoulder and the man began quietly talking to him, easing him out of the nightmare until he woke himself up fully.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Hush child, it is of no consequence. Do you often have nightmares?"

"Every night, I normally put up a silencing charm around my bed and pull the curtains so I don't wake the rest of the dorm but I forgot last night as I wasn't planning on falling asleep. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising Harry, it is perfectly fine for you to wake me. What do you dream about?"

"Voldemort. My family. Cedric. The ministry last year with Sirius. My parents' deaths, well, my mum and James' death. Detention with Umbridge. My cupboard. The usual I suppose."

"Okay, some of those I understood, some I'm confused by. What do you mean by detentions with Umbridge and your cupboard? And you can refer to James as your dad Harry, I'm not trying to take him away from you, he was the only father that you knew, whether it was by blood or marriage."

"I know you aren't planning on taking him away but still, you are my dad and you aren't dead, therefore I was right to clarify what I meant. Well Umbridge made me use a black quill in every detention so I relive my weeks with her. As for my cupboard, well, up until I got my Hogwarts letter, and again this Summer when my uncle found out Sirius had died, I lived in the cupboard under the stairs. Hell, even my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to 'Mr. H. Potter, The Cupboard Under the Stairs' so I figured that you all knew what I lived like at home. I could never understand why you thought I was pampered when I slept in a room I barely fit into." Severus was outraged when Harry had mentioned the use of the black quill but held his silence until the boy had finished speaking.

"SHE WAS USING A BLACK QUILL ON STUDENTS‽ ON YOU‽ Harry, don't you know that's illegal, don't you know that is a dark artefact used for torture and contracts, what the hell did she make you write? Why didn't you tell the staff about it? She could have been using it on other students, it's not just yourself that was suffering through your silence."

"Of course I know it's illegal, Sir. She was quite clear on telling me what it was used for but I didn't have much choice, it was that or the cruciatus curse. Plus, for your information, Sir, I told McGonagall but I was told to keep my head down and ignore it so I did. Other students saw that 'The Boy-Who-Lived' wasn't getting any help from the teachers so they all kept quiet about it as well, so don't assume that I am so selfish I would continue to let others suffer Sir." Harry was relatively calm while he spoke, only spitting out the word 'Sir' in disgust at the man's opinion of him leaving Snape feeling thoroughly chastised by the 16-year-old.

"She told you to ignore it while you were being subjected to repeated torture? I'm sorry, I know that you wouldn't put yourself before others, you have proved that many times in your years at Hogwarts, I was just shocked. I had thought that ANY teacher would have put a stop to such treatment of students so you couldn't have said anything, evidently I was wrong about the some of the teachers. What did she get you to write Harry, was it always the same thing or did it vary?"

"It was always the same Sev. I always had to keep writing 'I must not tell lies' over and over again for 'as long as it took for the message to sink in'. You get used to it after a while and it is just the blood loss that it an issue rather than the pain."

"You shouldn't have had to have gotten used to the pain child, each repetition is written deeper into your skin, can I see?" Harry showed Severus the back of his hand and the pink scars that took residence there and the man visibly flinched when he took notice of just how deep the words were scrawled into his son's flesh. "Do you know what this means Harry?"

"That I won't be able to lie in the future? Yeah, I managed to figure that out. Got in a lot of trouble this last Summer because of that."

"Your life depends on your ability to lie though, especially after your mother's spell breaks, you have to assume a whole other identity until Voldemort is dead."

"Do you think I don't know that fact? I'm able to tell half lies, as long as there is a solid base of the truth in there. Otherwise I am only able to avoid answering a question or answer it with the truth."

"So what you said about your cupboard?"

"100% true I'm afraid."

"Oh my child, I really did fail you badly, didn't I?"

"No you didn't."

"You can't lie to me."

"I'm not. You didn't fail me, you didn't know that I was your child so how would you have helped?"

"I'm still your teacher, I should have seen the signs, I should've helped you."

"It's okay Sev." Once again the two men were sat next to one another on the sofa, and once again Harry rested his head on Severus' shoulder as he stifled a yawn unsuccessfully.

"Go back to sleep child." Severus was about to stand and leave when Harry led back down with his head on Severus' lap causing said man to chuckle silently. Resting his own head against the back of the sofa and closing his eyes Severus began the easy repetitive motion of running his fingers through the teenager's hair, the steady rhythm sending them both back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"Neither of them had classes the following day since it was Saturday so when Snape woke first he figured that they would have some things that they needed to discuss, but that could all be done once the boy woke up in his own time and they had breakfast together. It was almost an hour later when Harry woke up so Snape was thankful he had brought his wand during the night as he was able to summon a book to read while he waited for his son to wake up./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"When Harry finally woke up he stretched backwards, arching his back, until he felt himself slap something causing him to snap his eyes open to look at what he hit. Upon seeing his new-found father smirking down at him, Harry shot up so he was sat on the sofa and spun so he was looking at the man wide-eyed./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Umm, good morning Sev. I'm sorry about the- you know- falling asleep in your lap, and the hitting you."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Good morning Harry. I trust you slept well?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I did but I said that I'm sorry for falling asleep on you."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""It's fine child. As long as you got some sleep it was worth it, as for hitting me, it was an accident and you barely got me anyway." These words marked the end of that conversation as Harry once again stretched but this time was careful to avoid hitting anyone or anything. "What say you to having some breakfast Harry?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I say that sounds good to me. Let's go."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I thought we might have had some breakfast down here in my chambers so we can talk."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Well, we can do that instead." Severus lead the way into his private kitchen and dining room and worked together to cook up a full English breakfast for the both of them. Harry doing the majority of it since he was no stranger to having to cook for people while Severus made the most of his potion making skills by cutting all of the ingredients up./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"It didn't take long with their teamwork before they were both sat down eating their hot food in companionable silence. A silence that was broken when they had both finished eating./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Harry, we have some things to talk about."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yeah, I figured that you'd want to talk at some point."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Let me know if there are things that you don't want to talk about right now, all of my questions have to be answered at some point though, agreed."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Well if I don't have a choice about not telling you I may as well tell you everything now, then it will hurt less when you leave."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I am not going to leave you Harry, I promise you that I am here to stay."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yeah, you say that now, it'll change. Don't worry, just start with the questions."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I will prove to you that I won't leave you Harry. You said that you lived in a cupboard?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yeah, what about it?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Why did you have to sleep under the stairs? Why didn't you have a proper bedroom?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Because I was a freak. They didn't like magic, any mention of anything out of the ordinary. I was both of those things. There was to be no mention of me what so ever. I would go to school, just enough for them to get away with, other than that no one was to know that I existed at all. If there were any guests around, other than Aunt Marge, I was to make absolutely no noise and pretend that I didn't exist."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Did they ever hit you?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Petunia wouldn't touch me, like she was afraid she would get some sort of disease, she would use more psychological warfare, hurt me with words, which felt far worse, or lock me in my cupboard or bedroom without any food. Dudley and his gang would chase me and fight with me at school and around the neighbourhood. They made sure that no one would dare to come near to me, or even say a word to me, because they were all too scared of him and his gang. Their favourite game was 'Harry Hunting' and no one would dare to interfere when they started on that game."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What about your uncle Harry, did he ever hit you?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yes."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What would he do Harry?" The boy began nervously chewing on his lip, an action that was not missed by Snape as he watched the boy. Moving to sit on the chair next to Harry, Severus shifted his chair closer so that he could wrap his arm around the boy's shoulders and pull him to his side. "You do not have to say now if you don't want to."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""No, I meant it when I said that I might as well tell you today, it just might take me a while to get it out, sorry."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""You don't need to apologise child, take as long as you need to, we have all of today if you need, as well as tomorrow. We will talk for as long as it takes."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Thank you. Can we move to the couch if we are going to keep talking though please?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Of course we can Harry." The two men walked back into the living room and once Snape had sat down, Harry resumed his previous position by curling into the side of the potion master and revelling when the arm was wrapped back around his shoulders./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""He- he would hit me if I didn't finish my daily chores which was most days as I rarely got any food so I was always weak, and the list was more than I could ever do without using my magic. If by- if by any miracle I did finish my chores before he came back from work the punishment would be... worse, as he would think that I'd used magic to do them."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""How would they be worse?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""He wouldn't just hit me." Snape waited to see if the boy would elaborate but upon hearing nothing from the boy he decided that he would move on to the next question and come back to it./span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Were you treated better once you started Hogwarts then? You said that you were in your cupboard until you got your first letter and then again this Summer."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I had a bedroom during that time but it was just a slightly bigger prison. Ron, Fred and George came to rescue me in our second year in the flying car, the one that we crashed into the Whomping Willow, much to your disgust. They had to pull bars off of my bedroom window before they could get me out of there. I had multiple locks on my door and was fed through a cat flap in my door. Then when Sirius died they knew that they were safe from anyone who might care enough to protect me so I got thrown back in my cupboard."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Were you ever allowed out other than to do your chores?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I got to go and use the bathroom twice a day."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""No, I mean, were you not allowed to go out to see friends or to go and have fun?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What friends? I already told you that Dudley and his gang made sure that no one would even speak to me so who exactly is it that you think would be hanging out with me?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""So you really had no one? No one who would ignore the bullies and befriend the victim?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""And you did?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Yes, I had your mother."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Oh. Yeah, I suppose that you did. No, I had no one, I got to go away to the school for the 'criminally insane', they all had to spend the rest of the year with my cousin, why help someone for 2 months when they get to leave while you are stuck with the bullies for all 12 months?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I'm sorry child. I failed you Harry. I made your life a living hell at this school when it was your only chance of being apart from the bullies. Instead I became the bully."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Hey, quit apologising to me, Hogwarts was more my home than Privet Drive ever was, even with the constant fights with the dungeon bat of a teacher."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""How about Athánatos, Athan or Ethan for short?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Your new name as my son."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""What does it mean?"/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""It's Greek for immortal."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I like it."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I like it too."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Athánatos Snape. It has a good ring to it, dad."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""We should come up with a middle name for you as well, but it is a start. I personally like the sound of 'dad'."/span/p  
p style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Me too, it suits you well."/span/p 


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